NA, RRB 12/15/1862

Proceedings
Augusta, Ga., December 15, 1862
 
   According to call from Col. W. M. Wadley, A. A. G., the Convention met in Masonic Hall at 10 o'clock, A.M.
   On motion of Mr. Pollard, R. R. Cuyler, Esq., was appointed Chairman, and Alfred L. Tyler and Wm. L. Clark, Secretaries.
   The meeting being called to order, the following Road were found to be represented:
  Muscogee Railroad 50 miles J. L. Mustian, President, W. L. Clark, Superintendent
  Macon & Western Railroad 120 miles Isaac Scott, President, Alfred L. Tyler, Superintendent
  South-Western Railroad 206 miles R. R. Cuyler, President, Virgil Powers Superintendent
  Orange & Alexandria Railroad 167 miles R. L. Owen
  Richmond & Petersburg Railroad 25 miles Chas. Ellis, Presid't
  Petersburg Railroad 63 miles C. O. Sanford, Superintendent
  Savannah, Albany & Gulf Railroad 200 miles Hiram Roberts, President, G. J. Fulton, Superintendent
  Raleigh & Gaston Railroad 97 miles W. J. Hawkins. President
  Charlotte & South Carolina Railroad 109 miles E. Hurlbut, Superintendent
  Georgia Railroad and Branches 233 miles John P. King, President, Geo. Yonge, Superintendent
  Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad 45 miles E. Hurlbut, Superintendent
  South Side Railroad 126 miles H. D. Bird, Superintendent
  Richmond & Danville Railroad 141 miles Chas. G. Talcott, Superintendent
  Alabama & Florida {(of Alabama)} Railroad 112 miles C. T. Pollard, Presid't, S. G. Jones, Superintendent
  Alabama & Mississippi Railroad 104 miles W. S. Knox, Sec'ry and Treasurer
  Alabama & Tennessee Railroad 135 miles Thomas A. Walker, President, Wm. Rothrock, Supt. and Engineer
  Alabama Shelby Coal Mine Branch 4 miles William Rothrock, Superintendent
  Atlanta & West Point Railroad 87 miles John P. King, Pres., Geo. G. Hull, Superintendent
  Georgia Central Railroad and Branches 282 miles R. R. Cuyler, President, Geo. W. Adams, Superintendent
  Savannah & Charleston Railroad 104 miles B. D. Hasel, Pres.
  East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad 140 miles C. Wallace, Pres.
  East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad 130 miles J. R. Branner, President
  Rogersville & Jefferson Railroad 15 miles R. G. Payne, Presid't
  Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Railroad 60 miles S. L. Niblack, Pres. and Superintendent
  Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad 76 miles Chas. Ellis
  Virginia Central Railroad 205 miles Chas. Ellis
  Virginia & Tennessee Railroad 215 miles R. L. Owen, President
  Vicksburg, Shreveport & Texas Railroad 75 miles J. N. Horne
  Brunswick & Florida Railroad 60 miles Chas. L. Schlatter, Pres
  Western & Atlantic Railroad 138 miles John S. Rowland, Superintendent -- by letter
  Montgomery & West Point Railroad 117 miles Chas. T. Pollard, President, D. H. Cram, Superintendent
  Wilmington & Manchester Railroad 171 miles Thos. D. Walker, President
  Wilmington & Weldon Railroad 180 miles S. D. Wallace, Pres. S. L. Fremont, Superintendent
  Mobile & Girard Railroad 57 miles B. E. Wells, Eng. & Supt.
  Mobile & Ohio Railroad 580 miles L. J. Fleming, Supt.
  Nashville & Chattanooga and Branches 144 miles V. K. Stephenson, President
  Nashville & Western Railroad 75 miles V. K. Stephenson, President
  N. C. Central Railroad 223 miles T. J. Sumner, Supt -- by letter
  Southern Railroad 140 miles M. Emanuel, V. Pres -- by letter
  North Eastern Railroad 102 miles S. S. Solomons, Supt.
  Cheraw & Darlington Railroad 40 miles S. S. Solomons, Supt.
  Total mileage 5181    
 

   The Chair read General Order No 98.
Adjutant and Inspector General's Office
Richmond, December 9th, 1862
General Orders No. 98
  
   Col. Wm. M. Wadley, Assistant Adjutant General, is hereby specially assigned to take supervision and control of the transportation for the Government on all the Rail Roads in the Confederate States.
   He is empowered to make contracts for transportation with said Rail Roads, or any of them, and such regulations and arrangements with them as may be requisite or proper to secure efficiency, harmony and cooperation on the part of said Rail Roads or any proper number of them in carrying on the transportation of the Government.
   He will take direction of all agents or employees engaged by the Government in connection with Rail Road transportation, and will retain, engage or dismiss such as may be requisite, and take charge of and employ all engineers, machinery, tools or other property of the Government owned or used for Rail Road transportation; and may exchange sell or loan such machinery with or to any Rail Road Company to facilitate the work of transportation and may generally assist and cooperate with the Rail Roads in effecting the work of transportation.
   The better to accomplish such ends, he may require cooperation and assistance to such an extent as can be reasonably granted by the Quarter Master and Commissary Bureaus, and may apply for details from the army of such artisans, mechanics and workmen, as may be necessary to facilitate the due accomplishment of his duties.
   He will report through the Adjutant and Inspector General to the Secretary of War
By order,
S. Cooper, Adjutant and Insp. General.
 
   On motion of Mr. Pollard, a committee of eight, including the chairman, were appointed to take into consideration the matters represented by Mr. Wadley, and to report at 3 p. m.
   The Chair appointed Messrs Pollard, King, Owen, Ellis, C. Wallace, Stephenson and Fleming.
   On motion of Mr. Fremont, a committee of five were appointed to arrange rates of transportation for men and things.
   The Chair appointed Messrs. Fremont, Adams, Yong, Scott and Horne.
   On motion of Mr. Sanford, a committee of eight were appointed to consult with Mr. Offutt of the Post Office Department, and arrange schedule for the Southern route.
   The Chair appointed Messrs. Sanford, Ellis, Fremont, Walker, Yonge, Hull, Cram and Jones.
   The meeting then adjourned until 3 p. m., at which time it met and was called to order by the Chairman, when it was found the committee were not ready to report, and was further adjourned until 10 o'clock, a. m., tomorrow.

Tuesday, A. M.
   The Convention met at 10 a. m., and was called to order by the Chairman. The minutes of yesterday were read and confirmed.
   The Committee to whom was referred the rates of transportation to be paid by the Government of persons and things, submitted the following

Report
   In view of the greatly enhanced value of every article entering into the consumption of Rail Road Companies, and as Rail Road Companies have been forced to increase their charges for the transportation of freight and passengers in their general business, your committee can see no reason or justice for retaining the present rates for carrying for the Government. We therefore submit the following tariff of charges

For Troops
   To be two and a half (2 1/2) cents per man per mile on main or thoroughfare lines; and on side and local lines, three and a half (3 1/2) cents per mile. All Soldiers on furlough to be charged at the foregoing rates.
   Commissioned Officers or Government Agents, traveling with or without requisitions, shall be charged full fare.
   (Roads to be classed by Col. Wadley, Chief of Government transportation.)

On Things
   1st Class -- Percussion Caps, Powder, and fixed ammunition, sixty (60) cents per 100 lbs., per 100 miles.
   2d Class -- All articles not enumerated in the first, third, fourth and fifth classes that are transported, shall be thirty (30) cents per 100 lbs., per 100 miles.
   3d Class -- Live Stock thirty ($30) dollars per car load, per 100 miles -- for less than a car load, local rates to be charged.
   4th Class -- Hay, Fodder, Shucks, Bran, Straw, empty Wagons Ambulances and other Government Carriages, twenty ($20) dollars per car load, per 100 miles.
   5th Class -- Wood, Coal, Lumber, Stone and Bricks to be carried by special contract with the Government, or at local rates of each road.
   For all distances less than fifty miles to be paid as fifty miles and for fifty miles and less than one hundred miles, to be paid as 100 miles.
   Extra or special trains ordered by proper authority, to be paid for at the rate of one dollar per mile for the locomotive and one car, and for every additional car 10 cents per mile for freight and 15 cents per mile for passenger cars.
   When an officer having proper authority, orders a train to be held in readiness for the transportation of troops, the proper charge shall be for the Locomotive $25 per day, and three ($3) dollars per day for each car, including the services of Conductor, Engineer, train-hand and fire-man while so held, and no charge to be for less than one day.
   When trains of one road pass over another, carrying troops or freight of any kind -- the road owning the train shall secure as full compensation for such train, one eighth (1/8) of its earnings, to be paid by the Road owning the track passed over.
   For the transportation of the bodies of Soldiers killed in battle or that die in service, each Road shall adopt its own rules and rates of charge.
   The Government should in all cases state by what train, passenger or freight, the transportation is to be performed, and when it is by passenger trains, fifty per centum additional to the foregoing rates shall be charged.
 
   It is the decided and unanimous opinion of the committee, that all Government trains should be discontinued at once, and the Machinery be turned over to the roads most in need of it, to be determined by Col. Wm. M. Wadley, Chief of Government transportation.
   The committee recommend that the rates fixed in this report be not applied to Roads west of the Mississippi River.
   The committee submit the following resolutions and recommend their adoption:
   1st. Resolved, That the foregoing rates of transportation of men and things, and the rules of charge set forth in this Report, be and the same are hereby adopted, to take effect on the first day of January next.
   2d. Resolved, That this Convention are of opinion, that the amount due each Rail Road Company for transportation of men and things, should be settled monthly by the Quarter Master nearest the principal office of the Company, within fifteen days after the close of the month.
   3d. Resolved, That Col. Wadley be earnestly requested to have all the cars seized and removed from the various Roads by Government Officers, returned at the earliest practicable moment to the Roads to whom they belong.
 
   After discussion, the Report was taken up by sections and adopted.
   Mr. Niblack offered the following Resolution, which was adopted:
   Resolved, That the Roads from the State of Florida, are excepted from the Report of the committee on transportation, a adopted by the Convention.
 
   On motion of Mr. Stephenson --
   Resolved, That the Nashville & Chattanooga Rail Road, be excepted from the report of the committee just passed.
 
   Mr. Pollard offered the following amendment:
   Resolved, That such Rail Roads as have been in the possession of the enemy, or partially destroyed, be excepted from the report of the committee regulating the rates of transportation. (Adopted)
 
   The Committee on Schedules not being ready to report, on motion was relieved.
 
   The Committee to take into consideration the matters represented by Mr. Wadley, reported the following:
  The committee to whom was referred a Resolution to confer with Col. W. M. Wadley, Chief of Government Transportation, and to present for the consideration of the Convention, such matters as will enable the Rail Road companies to meet the views of the Government, and respectfully report, that they have been unable to agree. They submit to the convention the following plan proposed by Col. Wadley, upon which he believes he can carry out satisfactorily the duties which devolve on him as Chief of Government Transportation.
C. T. Pollard, Chairman
Augusta, Ga., December 15th, 1862
To the Presidents and Superintendents
                  Of Rail Roads in the Confederate States:
Gentlemen,
   I have asked a conference with you for the purpose of taking into consideration the difficulties that now exist in Government transportation, and as far as practicable to remedy any defect that may be found in the present plan upon which it is transacted -- safety and despatch are the ends desired. To accomplish those ends, it is necessary to arrange Schedules, so as to enable your trains to connect with as little delay as possible; and to have a mutual understanding and agreement, for the delivery and receipt of freights between connecting Roads. In this connection I desire to avoid sending messengers with freight.
   I do not know the nature or extent of the difficulties that have been experienced and therefore cannot suggest any remedy, but I presume the want of Rolling Stock by some Roads, while that of others have been scattered over distant lines, leaving the owners without sufficient to transact its business, are among them.
   As a partial remedy to the Roads in want of Rolling Stock, I propose to part with all that is owned by Government; and I desire the Roads having a superabundance to supply, as far as practicable, those that are deficient. I do not suppose that there is enough to supply all, yet a fair distribution will very much relieve the wants of the country; and I trust that those more fortunate than their neighbors will promptly come to their relief in this time of need. To prevent Cars from being scattered, I think that an agreement should be entered into in reference to interchange between Roads, and when once determined upon let it be rigidly enforced. In providing for transhipment it may be desirable that exception should be made for heavy ordnance. I requested the Quarter Master General to have his Bureau represented at your meeting, in order to meet any question that might arise in reference to evidence of transportation or of auditing your accounts, and to represent this department, allow me to introduce to you Maj. Wood and Capt. Smith {probably Capt. Carrington} of the Quarter Master's Department.
   If there are other matters in reference to Government Transportation, upon which it is desirable to have understanding, or if there is anything I an do, as the Agent of the Government to facilitate your operations, I shall be very willing to cooperate with you.
   With this brief statement of my object in calling you together, I trust that you will unite in trying to accomplish the desired object. With your cordial cooperation I am sure that all difficulties will vanish, and without that cooperation I am equally certain that my appointment will prove of no avail.
   In conclusion let me beg that you will take sufficient time to mature whatever we may undertake to do. I desire all possible dispatch, but from my past experience in meetings of this character, I am satisfied there has been too much haste in bringing them to a close.
I am, Gentlemen,
Very Respectfully your ob't serv't,
Wm. M. Wadley, A. A. G.
 
   Mr. Pollard offered the following:
   Resolved, That the Rail Road Companies represented in this Convention, concur in the plan suggested by Col. Wadley, Chief of Government Transportation and adopt it.
 
   Mr. Stephenson offered the following amendment, which on motion was adopted:
   The Convention of Rail Road Officers now holding, take this means of acknowledging their approval of the appointment of Mr. Wadley by the Government to take the direction of Government transportation. The Rail Roads cheerfully pledge to the Government their assistance and cooperation with Mr. Wadley, in carrying out the wishes of the Government, and in perfecting the connections of Roads and quick transfer of freights and passengers from road to road.
  
   Mr. Owen offered the following Resolution which was adopted:
   Resolved, That in view of the existing necessity of some Agent for the Government upon each line of Rail Road, the respective Superintendents be requested to offer their services to Col. Wadley, A. A. G., and assist him in carrying out his views and make such reports to him as may be deemed necessary.
 
   Mr. Fleming offered the following Resolution which was adopted:
   Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the Chairman to confer with the Post Master General, and to petition Congress for an increase of compensation for the transportation of Mail, and for the passage of a law for the more equitable adjustment of fines and forfeitures for failure to perform the service.
 
   The Chair appointed Messrs. Fleming, Sanford, Stephenson, Ellis and Owen.
 
   On motion of Mr. Adams,
   Resolved, That the Secretaries have a sufficient number of copies of the proceedings of the Convention printed, and send ten copies to each road represented, by Express, with bill of proportionate expense of printing. Adopted.
 
   No further business offering, the Convention adjourned sine die.
R. R. Cuyler, Chairman
Alfred L. Tyler, Wm. L. Clark, Secretaries

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